The Bet
by NiyteDreamer
Summary: Some things are unavoidable


The Bet Chapter 1: A Mistake Authors Note: I don't own the characters of Trigun. They own me. ~::-::~ Wolfwood held the twisted cigarette to his mouth. He took a pretty good whiff of it, a long trail of ashes clinging from it's end, and let out a heavy sigh from the corner of his lip. His elbows hung from the edges of the booths' seat on either side of his head , and his legs were sprawled out under the table comfortably. Again, he brought the little cuss to his pretty lips, and brought it's addictions into himself, as well. Actually he found the idea of that quite funny.  
  
Millie however did not.  
  
"Smoking is bad for you, you know." She said matter-of-factly.  
  
Wolfwood crooked one opened eye in her direction, "don't you think I know that."  
  
"Now Wolfie!" Vash smiled teasingly, "Is that anyway to talk to a lady?"  
  
Wolfwood closed his eyes, fighting ferociously to keep in toe with his patience, "You're the last one I want to hear that from."  
  
"Oh now Wolfie!" Vash leaned forward, "don't you think you're being a tad bit hasty?"  
  
"I don't get hasty," Wolfwood replied in an assured way.  
  
Millie grabbed his cigarette, "There!" She exclaimed putting it out on the table, "The best way to kick the habit is to resist!"  
  
Wolfwood looked at her angrily, "Who said anything about kicking the habit!"  
  
"Are you implying," Meryl chirped in suppressing her laughter, "that you don't want to, or your just not strong enough too?"  
  
"What are you saying?" Wolfwood looked at her, "that I couldn't stop smoking if I wanted to?"  
  
"No...." Meryl paused, "Well, maybe."  
  
Vash did his usual outburst of laughter that cackled all through the bar.  
  
"Fine." Wolfwood smiled confidently, "I'll prove to all of you that it is no task for one as great as I."  
  
Meryl nodded "And just," She rumbled through her purse until she pulled out a tiny white object and handed it to Wolfwood, "Your first test!"  
  
Wolfwood looked it over, "This is a..."  
  
"That's right!" Meryl agreed, "It's a cigarette, full of nicotine, just the way you like them."  
  
Wolfwood looked at the tiny figure with great interest as he rolled it around in his fingers.  
  
"Now, every time that you're tempted to light up, I want you to pull out this cigarette and say, 'I can beat you, because I'm a strong man, and addictions are for weaklings.'" Meryl smiled.  
  
Wolfwood only nodded like a hypnotized idiot, not taking his eyes off of the trivial item. Suddenly, he looked up with great surprise and fear struck in his eyes. Looking past them he pointed, "It's Vash the Stampede!"  
  
All of them turned and looked, including Vash, who practically crawled over the seat. Meryl paused, "Do you see him?"  
  
Vash nodded and then shook his head in a 'no', "He was too quick."  
  
"Wait a second." Meryl said suddenly feeling like an idiot. She looked at Vash, who looked at her at the same time as well. They paused a second, before breaking into nervous laughter.  
  
"Oh! I am Vash!" Vash said coming into realization.  
  
Meryl clapped sarcastically, "I'm so proud, you've finally figured out your identity!"  
  
"I'm glad you're finally turning a corner, Mr. Priest." They heard Millie say.  
  
They both turned in unison, and watched as Wolfwood lit one up, and took a whiff of it. Wolfwood chuckled, "Good stuff..."  
  
"Wrong corner...." Vash managed to murmur.  
  
"No kidding." Meryl said and then slid down in the seat, "He's about as hopeless as you, you dumb idiot."  
  
Vash laughed nervously again, "You think so?"  
  
Meryl paused before glaring at him with a sick expression on her face, "Count on it."  
  
"So, Millie," Wolfwood leaned in close to her and grinned, "You, uh....... come here often?"  
  
"Oh brother." Meryl murmured for only Vash to hear.  
  
Vash tilted his eyes towards her, "Guess the lech is at it again."  
  
They both sighed. Vash let out a long '....huuuuuuuh....' before staring up into the overhead light, "Well, can I buy you another drink?"  
  
Meryl rolled her eyes, "Yeah right.......You never bought me a first drink." She looked down at his up tilted face, "And since when do you have money!?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Vash looked at her with a nervous smile, "I am broke, aren't I?"  
  
"....Idiot...." She mumbled before squirming over him, "I guess I'll go buy myself a drink then."  
  
"Hey wait!" Vash yelled going after her, "I want a drink too!"  
  
"Well you can just keep wanting one," She called back before turning back to the front bar, "I'm not paying for your drink, Vash."  
  
Vash slid in next to her and bent over to her height, "Please?"  
  
"If you think that's gonna work, then you're sadly mistaken." She said; arms folded.  
  
Vash looked at her sadly; put on the biggest eyes he could, and whimpered like a sick little puppy, "Please!!"  
  
Meryl looked at him nervously, "Vash!" She said through shut teeth, while looking over at all the people staring, "You're embarrassing me....."  
  
Vash looked at her with a malicious grin, "Oh, is that so?"  
  
Meryl looked at the groups of people staring at her with expressions that clearly said, 'who is that strange girl?!' and, 'what the hell?'  
  
Meryl smiled nervously, "No! I don't know this idiot; it's him who's strange!"  
  
Vash fell to his knees before letting his feet spread around beside his hips on the ground. He placed his hands together as if he was going to pray, "Meryl, dearest, will you please buy me a drink?"  
  
"No, I most certainly will not, now get up this instant!" She murmured quietly.  
  
"Oh," Vash looked to the side, "And what will our six children think when they find out how selfish their mom was?"  
  
Meryl blushed in embarrassment.  
  
"Six children!" The older lady serving drinks on the other side of the bar exclaimed before smiling happily, "Well, shee-oot, girl! He must have you poppin out babies like a baker pops out bread in a dough factory!"  
  
"No, you see," Meryl leaned forward, "I don't even know this man, so there's no way that could even be possible--"  
  
"She's in denial!" Vash said sadly while standing up and dusting his coat off, "It pains my heart to see her ashamed of her own family! Why, ever since she was fifteen, all she could talk about was us having children."  
  
The ladies' mouth was as wide as the doors of the church, "Fifteen!"  
  
Vash smiled, "She loves kids, don't you honey?"  
  
"Oh yes..." Meryl said looking at him with eyes set to kill and gritted teeth at the embarrassment he was causing her, "I love them to death."  
  
"Don't worry!" Vash laughed loudly, "We'll get to work on another one, just you be patient!"  
  
"You know, miss," Vash said leaning on the table, "One time when Meryl and I were twelve--"  
  
"Okay-I'll-buy-you-the-drink....." Meryl said through her teeth in his direction.  
  
"What was that?" He questioned teasingly.  
  
Meryl sighed while pounding a fist on the bar, a good bit of double dollars squeezed in between her slender fingers, "Two drinks please..."  
  
"Now that's the spirit!" The woman said arranging their drinks. She placed them together carefully and beautifully; almost as if they were some sort of swooning couple, as Vash had said. The thought made Meryl blush, well not really, it was definitely anger.  
  
"Scotch! Speyside!" Vash said cheerfully, "no ice!"  
  
"Scotch? Speyside?!" Meryl said giving him an evil look, "I want ice!"  
  
"Come on, Meryl! You gotta hit those glasses hard!"  
  
"No." She shook her head, "Not Meryl Stryfe, I think you can 'hit those glasses' hard enough on your own."  
  
"Oh, come on!" Vash cooed, "Where's your spirit of fun?"  
  
Meryl looked at him close, "It died, Vash. And I grew up."  
  
"Well, there's your problem!" He answered quickly, "You haven't had time to live, loosen up a bit! Relax! It'll be fun, come on!"  
  
"No! I won't!" Meryl shook her head.  
  
"Come on! You didn't blackout last time or anything, did you?"  
  
"Not exactly..." She said nervously.  
  
"What do you mean?" he provoked.  
  
Meryl shook her head, "Nothing, okay."  
  
"Come on, tell me!" He begged.  
  
"Vash! .....Just drop it, okay."  
  
"I'll stop if you tell me."  
  
Meryl paused, "You'll stop?"  
  
"Yep." he answered reluctantly.  
  
"And leave me alone the rest of the night?" Meryl asked.  
  
"Scouts honer." Vash raised his right hand, "I swear on pain of death, I'll leave you alone the rest of the night if you tell me."  
  
"Okay!" She laughed quietly, "Okay." Meryl turned her head and mumbled a bit.  
  
"Come again?" He questioned.  
  
She mumbled again, only slightly louder, but still not enough to where he could understand her.  
  
"What was that now?!" He teased, with a dimwitted smile on his face.  
  
Meryl looked up at him with earnest eyes, "I've never shot a drink before..."  
  
"Well, why didn't you just say so?"  
  
'There he goes again.' Meryl thought, 'with that stupid, dumb ... beautiful smile on his face.' Meryl shook her head, 'did I really just think that?!'  
  
Vash pushed her to the bar, "You have to try it! It's fun, I promise!"  
  
"How 'bout a little wager?" A deep voice echoed in. A giant man, resembling a snake, walked into the bar. His eyes were as sneaky as the devils', and his long forked tongue hissed in and out of his small mouth.  
  
Vash looked at the snake man anxiously, finding him staring at Meryl. Vash smiled, "Well hello, sir! What's your name?"  
  
The man sent a half evil glance in the gunman's direction, "People round here call me Slingin Cheroc." He looked over at Meryl, "And well, little missy, if you're interested, I've got a deal for you."  
  
"A deal?" She questioned.  
  
"Yes. A deal. Let's just call it a little game." He smiled, "If you win, I'll give you two a key to the finest motel room in this town."  
  
"And if she loses?" Vash asked.  
  
"If she loses, then," The snake man licked his lips, "I get to have her for the night. Deal?"  
  
Vash gave him an angry look, "what?! Are you craz--"  
  
"I'll do it." Meryl interrupted.  
  
"Meryl!" Vash whimpered as he looked back at her.  
  
Meryl smiled at Vash, "No, I should. Try new things, explore new horizons. Plus, where else are we supposed to stay?"  
  
"Meryl," Vash shook his head. He moved close up to her face so he could speak only to her, "If he wins there is nothing I can do, if he wins then he gets you."  
  
"I know." She answered plainly, "Don't worry. I won't lose."  
  
Cheroc grinned, "So do we have an agreement?"  
  
Vash said 'no' and Meryl said 'yes' at the same time.  
  
The snake man sat at the nearest two seated table, "Well, what'll it be then, girl? I don't have all night."  
  
"Vash, stay out of this." Meryl implied, "I can take care of myself."  
  
Meryl sat down, and Vash watched on carefully.  
  
Cheroc chuckled, "So, you have some courage after all?"  
  
"Yes." She answered, "So what are we playing? Rummy? Chess?"  
  
"A game of the old shot glass." Cheroc answered reluctantly.  
  
Meryl almost fell out of her chair, "Shot glass?!"  
  
"That's right." He hissed, "I sure hope you don't faint easily."  
  
Meryl looked over at Vash, but Vash only shook his head warily.  
  
"Bring in the drinks!" Cheroc demanded.  
  
Meryl leaned in close to the snake man, "Can you excuse me for just one second?"  
  
"Don't be too long now, perrty un." He grinned lecherously.  
  
Meryl went to Vash hastily, "What should I do?" She whispered, "I didn't know we were gonna do this!"  
  
Vash took in a sharp painful breath, "Drink as much as you can. Don't stop until you can't drink anymore."  
  
Meryl gave him a hard stare, "As much as I can!?"  
  
Vash nodded, "It's your only hope."  
  
"Vash," Meryl grabbed his sleeve, "I'm scared, what--what if he beats me Vash! What if he beats me!"  
  
Vash's heart went out to her, "You won't lose, Meryl." He shook his head, "You can't. If you do then..."  
  
The typhoon gunman looked up at Cheroc, "You can beat him, it's simple. He thinks you'll lose because you're a woman."  
  
"Because I'm a woman?"  
  
Vash nodded, "But, you're stronger than he thinks. Just think of it as gunplay without guns. You have to be quick, nimble and stay strong." He smiled, "Now go and win us that motel room."  
  
Meryl nodded happily, "Thanks, Vash."  
  
She walked carefully back to the table and sat, "Fine then, Slingin Cheroc." She smirked, "Give me your worst."  
  
Cheroc grinned slowly.  
  
"I hope you've picked out yerself a nice little outfit," He said as the drinks were placed between them, "I like touchin things real soft."  
  
Cheroc chuckled, "I never loose, missy, but don't you worry. You'll soon find out how I earned the name Slingin Cheroc!!" Himself and his few minions began to laugh rather loudly.  
  
Meryl inhaled slowly and let out a quick, sharp breath. She looked over at Vash, to see if he was going to give her another comforting word. Instead she found him, eyes blazing like he was ready to knock over hell. They were pointed in Cheroc's direction and his teeth, barred together, were showing, thus giving him the appearance of a rabid dog growling without sound. Meryl looked over and noticed that Vash's hand was hovering just over his gun. Apparently, the ace gunman wasn't very happy with Cheroc's comments. Meryl felt suddenly flushed.  
  
'.......How sweet......' She thought in a sudden rush, 'NO! NO!' She patted the sides of her head, 'You must focus!'  
  
Suddenly, winning meant everything. Meryl knew that if she lost, he would take her and treat her just as all men treat women, but it made no difference. She looked down at the soft, white glasses filled to their brinks in liquor.  
  
It wasn't looking good.  
  
~::-::~ 


End file.
